As user demand for wireless data services continues to grow, the deployment of network infrastructure to support the user demand has proliferated. The increase in network infrastructure has been aimed at shrinking the size of wireless communication cells in order to increase network coverage and capacity for supporting both a growing number of users and increased data usage by the users. One drawback of the increasing network size is the increased overhead due to the large amount of resulting mobility events.
To provide network coverage for an out-of-coverage device, wireless devices which are within network coverage may be used to relay data from the out-of-coverage wireless devices to the network. A cross link (XL) is established between the out-of-coverage device and the device having network coverage. The XL facilitates data traffic with the network. Further, when both devices are within network coverage, the XL may be used to provide increased capacity to either device.
It is desirable to have a method and apparatus for controlling XL establishment between wireless devices, whereby the wireless devices may be in any one of a plurality of radio resource control (RRC) substates. It is also desirable for the method and apparatus to enable triggering and performing a handover between infrastructure coverage and wireless device coverage.